Tait Hoglund has arrived at Shalom as our new Student Ministries Director! It's exciting to have Tait on staff and he's off to a great start.

As I thought about Tait coming and my message last Sunday, it struck me that there was a time when there was no such thing as "youth ministry" in churches. Not until the 1950s did the group called "teenagers" in America actually become a significant social unit. Teenagers had spare time and cash, and thus a youth movement began in America. Churches who wanted to reach families for Christ naturally decided to start youth groups. This evolved into "youth rooms" and "youth ministry" with "youth directors."

This is a great idea as long as parents do not neglect building relationships with their teens and teaching them Christ's ways. Let's not forget that this is God's will. Deuteronomy 6:5-8:  "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." How is that going?

Jesus said in Matthew 19:6: "What God joins together, let man not separate." When wedding vows are spoken, the marriage is not the action of a man or a woman. God acts. God joins a man and a woman in marriage.

But we also must act to build marriage. Carl Sandberg's daughter wrote that her dad had quite a temper but her mom always coaxed him out of it. Once, when Carl had grown old, he pulled at the handle of a screen door and it was stuck. He shouted in anger. But his petite wife looked up at him, patted his chest, and said, "What a fine strong voice!" Carl Sandberg was disarmed by her love and no longer able to be mad. Keep building.

 So how can we transform a marriage? I've noticed that the Bible points to the New Covenant as the key to Covenant Marriage. One example is Ephesians 5:25: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Jesus' death on the cross is the husband's inspiration, empowerment, and source of forgiveness -- all crucial elements to transforming marriage. How crucial is this concept to transforming marriage and why?

The essential difference that the concept of covenant marriage makes is that God is in the mix. In a world where there is a tsunami of destructive values that tear marriage apart, we need God more than ever. (More on that in my next post.)

The graph below comes from  Boomers, Xers, and Other Strangers. It shows how American values have changed so much. Which values in this graph seem particularly damaging to marriage?

Is what we're doing in America working when it comes to building marriage? My message yesterday displayed the graph below that demonstrates a huge increase in divorce in the 1970s. I've noticed that our conversation about marriage and divorce rarely mentions covenant marriage -- a crucial concept for a healthy marriage. 

Covenant Marriage is a lifelong commitment by two believers to remain faithful to God and to one another. The difference covenant marriage makes is that the couple knows they are accountable to God and experiences the power of God working in them to build a positive, healthy marriage. Any thoughts?

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/mvsr/supp/mv43_09s.pdf

An influx of Somali Muslims and Latino workers has created an interfaith conflict in a Grand Island, Nebraska meatpacking plant. Muslims have asked management to adjust the factory schedule to fit their prayer times and holidays. American Christians might debate this matter by pointing out the tension between the right to religious freedom and the economic cost to stopping the factory for prayer. What would you say?

Why not answer from the story of the Bible? The Bible says we are to "love your neighbor as yourself"? But not everyone in Grand Island would view Somali Muslims as neighbors--the view might be that they are intruders or enemies. (This probably happens in communities across America.) And if they are viewed as "enemies", what does the story of the Bible say? Jesus says, "Love your enemies" (Matt. 5:44).

We are called to be Good Samaritans -- to love across religious and racial lines. Every person is created in God's image and therefore loved by God (Matt. 5:44-47). God is never seen more clearly in us than those moments in which we love our "enemy."

How does the story of God's Word help you move past barriers toward reconciliation?

(Sunday's message on the Word brought to mind this story that is found in Leadership magazine, Spring 2009.)

(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/us/16immig.html)

A number of people have asked me about the TNIV. Every person has expressed concern that this is a corrupted translation. They have also all been convinced that this is a new translation. I'm not sure why all the questions have popped up.

So I decided to look into it. I invite you to check out their website http://www.biblica.com/bibles/tniv/ and see what you think. I've learned that the original TNIV put out a number of years ago was more of a concern than this one might be. It appears that the translators are making a diligent effort to be faithful to the original biblical text and to be relevant to today's culture.

I personally like the NIV for it's readability and accuracy. I use the NASB and the ESV when I want a translation more close to the original text. I also use the NLT for young people or new Christians.

Enjoy the Word! Share the Word!

Had a great weekend with 500 guys at Trout Lake Camp. Dr. Lew Petrie, our speaker, said, "Bitterness is the poison you swallow, hoping someone else will die." Many men were convicted and challenged by the reality of bitterness in their lives.

This bitterness causes great rifts in our relationships with God and others. What stubbornness of heart needs to be rooted out of your life? (Deut. 28:18-19; Heb. 12:15)?

Welcome to the Clunkers Series! 

The Clunkers series of messages is designed to help get our families back on the road again, spiritually. On Sunday, September 13th, we focused on how to overcome disappointment with loved ones through unconditional love, seeking progress in relationships, and investing in the eternal outcome of your loved ones. It's sad but true that we trade our loved ones in just like we trade our cars in. But our families should be more like those precious clunkers that were never traded in for the $3500 government bonus on a new car. Some clunkers hold such dear memories that they are priceless. What needs to happen for us to see our spouses and kids as priceless?

Pastor Rick